It does make sense to me that if consumers learn how much food they personally are wasting and cut that loss, they have more money to spend on beef.

It does seem you don't approve that project. Have you asked the Beef Council members who voted to do that project what their reasoning was for choosing it, since ALL Beef Check Off spending is on projects chosen by those members before the contracts are awarded to whichever group gets the contract?

Also guessing that such a project does win some sort of 'brownie points' with consumers for the producers of beef who are funding the project. I wouldn't want a very large percent of the budget going to such, but finding ways to get consumers in a willing frame of mind about our beef, which too often bears the brunt of 'anti' activists for a variety of reasons makes sense to me.

Let me modify the original question traveler: is illuminating waste, the most cost efficient use of checkoff dollars if the goal is directly increasing beef consumption? Emphatically NO.

So if consumers are educated to waste less, will beef seize a disproportionate share of the savings? I'd like to see the study indicating that - doubt it exists.

What does the triple bankshot approach to marketing express about one's opinion of beef marketing? I'd suggest direct promotion of beef indicates a positive view of beef demand. The idea that the best use of promotion monies is to educate consumers to save resources, hoping to get a static share of that savings, certainly doesn't express a positive view of beef demand.

More realistically, this "plan" doesn't show thoughtful allocation of checkoff money unless the contention is "sufficient direct promotion of beef has been saturated by present promotion levels." I'd suggest the checkoff studies saying we're at a $17/1 return indicate we need lots more direct promotion.

Brad S wrote:Let me modify the original question traveler: is illuminating waste, the most cost efficient use of checkoff dollars if the goal is directly increasing beef consumption? Emphatically NO.

So if consumers are educated to waste less, will beef seize a disproportionate share of the savings? I'd like to see the study indicating that - doubt it exists.

What does the triple bankshot approach to marketing express about one's opinion of beef marketing? I'd suggest direct promotion of beef indicates a positive view of beef demand. The idea that the best use of promotion monies is to educate consumers to save resources, hoping to get a static share of that savings, certainly doesn't express a positive view of beef demand.

More realistically, this "plan" doesn't show thoughtful allocation of checkoff money unless the contention is "sufficient direct promotion of beef has been saturated by present promotion levels." I'd suggest the checkoff studies saying we're at a $17/1 return indicate we need lots more direct promotion.

I'm not terribly impressed that the Checkoff felt the need to celebrate "Erff Day" for beginners. The grilling season is here and all available resources need to capitalize on that, IMO.

Secondly, even a junkie is smart enough not to waist his hard earned dope. I'm going to venture that the majority of "food waist" (or waste.....whatever) comes from the reloadable EBT cards, and other government funded food programs. If they happen to throw perfectly good beef away, that's okay with me as well. As long as it's been purchased.

Brad S wrote:Let me modify the original question traveler: is illuminating waste, the most cost efficient use of checkoff dollars if the goal is directly increasing beef consumption? Emphatically NO.

So if consumers are educated to waste less, will beef seize a disproportionate share of the savings? I'd like to see the study indicating that - doubt it exists.

What does the triple bankshot approach to marketing express about one's opinion of beef marketing? I'd suggest direct promotion of beef indicates a positive view of beef demand. The idea that the best use of promotion monies is to educate consumers to save resources, hoping to get a static share of that savings, certainly doesn't express a positive view of beef demand.

More realistically, this "plan" doesn't show thoughtful allocation of checkoff money unless the contention is "sufficient direct promotion of beef has been saturated by present promotion levels." I'd suggest the checkoff studies saying we're at a $17/1 return indicate we need lots more direct promotion.

I'm not terribly impressed that the Checkoff felt the need to celebrate "Erff Day" for beginners. The grilling season is here and all available resources need to capitalize on that, IMO.

Secondly, even a junkie is smart enough not to waist his hard earned dope. I'm going to venture that the majority of "food waist" (or waste.....whatever) comes from the reloadable EBT cards, and other government funded food programs. If they happen to throw perfectly good beef away, that's okay with me as well. As long as it's been purchased.

Some of ya'll will never be happy with anything the beef checkoff dollars are spent on! Collectively, our dollars return so much value for our product and that benefits us all. Small producers and huge producers! Is the system perfect? Nope! Is Brad's ranch perfect? Is Travelers operation operating at its ultimate efficiency level? I have no idea but would wager a guess that we all can improve. I know I get better with each passing year of experience in this vocation. Instead of running down the checkoff, get involved and help make it better using your ideas and experience. If you didn't intend to take shots at the checkoff and were just bringing up something you happen to think they can do better, then good for you. We all need to think outside the box and send our ideas, good and bad, to the folks who spend our checkoff dollars.

Traveler, the comment on throwing away perfectly good beef as long as somebody paid for it is incredibly short sighted to me. While I have no control with what folks do with the beef I sell them, comments like yours do nothing for our vocation. In fact, it could be used by folks who have no use for us, as another tool to destroy beef production and Producers! We should never advocate waste. Hell, during the depression, they paid my Grandpa for his cattle and then shot them and buried them with a cat! But as long as he got his, it shouldn't bother him huh? He never got over how bad that was and carried that for the rest of his life. I will never forget it either and I wasn't even alive during the depression. I couldn't disagree more with that statement.

More times than I care to admit I've overheard someone in the line at the store buying beef on their ebt card. Was it for them? No it was for the dog because they would rather eat junk and the beef was able to be bought on the card. I suppose that helps but not the initial place we envision our product. As for the checkoff I really have no idea what it's used for, I hear pork ads on the radio but never a beef ad anymore.

Brad S wrote:Let me modify the original question traveler: is illuminating waste, the most cost efficient use of checkoff dollars if the goal is directly increasing beef consumption? Emphatically NO.

So if consumers are educated to waste less, will beef seize a disproportionate share of the savings? I'd like to see the study indicating that - doubt it exists.

What does the triple bankshot approach to marketing express about one's opinion of beef marketing? I'd suggest direct promotion of beef indicates a positive view of beef demand. The idea that the best use of promotion monies is to educate consumers to save resources, hoping to get a static share of that savings, certainly doesn't express a positive view of beef demand.

More realistically, this "plan" doesn't show thoughtful allocation of checkoff money unless the contention is "sufficient direct promotion of beef has been saturated by present promotion levels." I'd suggest the checkoff studies saying we're at a $17/1 return indicate we need lots more direct promotion.

I'm not terribly impressed that the Checkoff felt the need to celebrate "Erff Day" for beginners. The grilling season is here and all available resources need to capitalize on that, IMO.

Secondly, even a junkie is smart enough not to waist his hard earned dope. I'm going to venture that the majority of "food waist" (or waste.....whatever) comes from the reloadable EBT cards, and other government funded food programs. If they happen to throw perfectly good beef away, that's okay with me as well. As long as it's been purchased.

Some of ya'll will never be happy with anything the beef checkoff dollars are spent on! Collectively, our dollars return so much value for our product and that benefits us all. Small producers and huge producers! Is the system perfect? Nope! Is Brad's ranch perfect? Is Travelers operation operating at its ultimate efficiency level? I have no idea but would wager a guess that we all can improve. I know I get better with each passing year of experience in this vocation. Instead of running down the checkoff, get involved and help make it better using your ideas and experience. If you didn't intend to take shots at the checkoff and were just bringing up something you happen to think they can do better, then good for you. We all need to think outside the box and send our ideas, good and bad, to the folks who spend our checkoff dollars.

Traveler, the comment on throwing away perfectly good beef as long as somebody paid for it is incredibly short sighted to me. While I have no control with what folks do with the beef I sell them, comments like yours do nothing for our vocation. In fact, it could be used by folks who have no use for us, as another tool to destroy beef production and Producers! We should never advocate waste. Hell, during the depression, they paid my Grandpa for his cattle and then shot them and buried them with a cat! But as long as he got his, it shouldn't bother him huh? He never got over how bad that was and carried that for the rest of his life. I will never forget it either and I wasn't even alive during the depression. I couldn't disagree more with that statement.

H, let me clear a couple things up for ya. If you can find someone who's posted more kudos to the checkoff dollars being spent on export promotions than I have, let me know. If you need a link, just holler. I totally support promotions as well.

Secondly, I guarantee that our operation has certainly been represented on the beef board, by a real good manager. His opinion is that there is so much money p!ssed away on worthless projects like this one, it takes away dearly from valuable promotions. Putting the shoe on the other foot, is there nothing that the checkoff has ever done that you're aware of, that didn't want to make you just throw more money in whatever direction they decide upon because, you know, we just get such a hell of a return? My dollars go into it, and I have every right to comment, the same way I vote and have every right to comment on actions of both parties.

And lastly, if someone buys something at whatever market, and doesn't make good use of it, irregardless of what it is......it's nobody's business. If they want to feed high priced cuts of meat to their dog, it's nobody's business. If they leave it in the refrigerator too long and it spoils, that's their oversight. If the kids decide they don't like something or aren't hungry, the way kids can do, that's their problem. It doesn't reflect poorly on any industry. My guess would be, once again, that if they paid for it out of their own pocket, waste will be minimal. If they didn't, nothing can be done to prevent it.

Jump to: navigation, search In the United States, a commodity checkoff program collects funds through a checkoff mechanism, sometimes called checkoff dollars, from producers of a particular agricultural commodity and uses these funds to promote and do research on that particular commodity. The organizations must promote their commodity in a generic way, without reference to a particular producer. Checkoff programs attempt to improve the market position of the covered commodity by expanding markets, increasing demand, and developing new uses and markets.

Some of ya'll will never be happy with anything the beef checkoff dollars are spent on! Collectively, our dollars return so much value for our product and that benefits us all.

So, because I thought the Sybil promotion was a mistake, I was against the research that developed the flat iron steak? The nature of sound management practice includes scrutinizing every decision. I supported the checkoff since before there was a checkoff, but nothing should be so sacred as to be above scrutiny. I suspect the "waste not, want not" promotion missed the mark by enough we needn't spend the money to test it. I'd guess an ad guru peddled that scheme and he might have divided loyalties. I'd like to see all the body of work offered by the originator of the waste not want not education. Btw, if you're not evaluating ad copy, you hadn't better be in charge of any ad money.

Brad S wrote:Some of ya'll will never be happy with anything the beef checkoff dollars are spent on! Collectively, our dollars return so much value for our product and that benefits us all.

So, because I thought the Sybil promotion was a mistake, I was against the research that developed the flat iron steak? The nature of sound management practice includes scrutinizing every decision. I supported the checkoff since before there was a checkoff, but nothing should be so sacred as to be above scrutiny. I suspect the "waste not, want not" promotion missed the mark by enough we needn't spend the money to test it. I'd guess an ad guru peddled that scheme and he might have divided loyalties. I'd like to see all the body of work offered by the originator of the waste not want not education. Btw, if you're not evaluating ad copy, you hadn't better be in charge of any ad money.

Well said.

I am a supporter of the check-off, and always have been. After all, if we don't care enough to put our money into it, who does?I did some of the contacting producers when it was first thought up, prior to implementation and I know what some of the articles were that went into magazines...against beef...before the checkoff. I've said it before and it wasn't good...not sure if many of you can recall that far back. I'm always sad when this gets brought up again and again.

There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.